How to Solve the Missing Outbox Folder in Outlook issue

In the popular email client Outlook, whenever you receive any emails they will be stored in the Inbox folder. When any email is sent it will first be stored in the Outbox folder and later it goes into the Sent items folder.

However, many users have reported an issue where they are not able to find the Outbox folder in Outlook. Some users have also found that some other folders like drafts, sent items, deleted items, archives, and junk emails are not available in the Outlook folder list.

To resolve this problem of missing folders in Outlook, you will need to subscribe to IMAP folders. If you are facing this issue with your Outlook, then try the methods mentioned in this article to fix the missing Outbox problem in Outlook.

Method 1: Reset the Outlook Folder Pane

 

Make sure that you close Outlook before proceeding with the steps below.

 

Step 1. Press Windows + R to open Run.



Step 2. Type the command below and hit Enter to reset the folder pane.



C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\Outlook.exe /resetfolders

Step 3. Open Outlook and check if the Outbox folder is visible.

 

Run Outlook Reset Folders Min

Method 2: Subscribe to the IMAP Folder to Find Outlook Missing Outbox Folder

 

Step 1. Launch Outlook on your system.

Step 2. Locate your IMAP mail account in the left pane so as to find the folders.

Step 3. Right-click on this IMAP mail id and choose IMAP Folders… in the menu that opens.

 

Outlook Mail Imap Folders Min

 

Step 4. In the IMAP Folders window, click on the Query button.

 

Imap Folders Query Min

 

Step 5. This displays a list of all the IMAP folders in the All tab.

Step 6. Find the folder that you are missing in your Outlook.

Step 7. Select the required folder and click on the Subscribe button.

 

Imap Folders Select Folder Subscribe Min

 

Note: If you want to select many folders at once while pressing the Ctrl key select the folders that you want.

Step 8. Click on Apply and then on OK to save these changes.

Step 9. Go back to Outlook and check whether the missing folder is visible.

 

Method 3: Update the IMAP Folder List in Outlook

 

If the folder you are looking for is not visible in the IMAP folder list while following the steps above, then try the steps below to update the IMAP folder list. Perform the update of the list until the folder that is missing becomes available.

 

Step 1. Launch Outlook.

Step 2. Select the IMAP email folder in the left pane.

Step 3. Go to the Folder tab in the toolbar at the top.

Step 4. Click on Update Folder List in the IMAP section.

 

Outlook Update Folder List Min

 

Step 5. Once the folder update process completes, you can follow the above method to subscribe to the IMAP folder and find the missing Outbox folder in Outlook.

Method 4: Remove and Re-add Account in Outlook

Remove Existing Outlook Mail Account

 

Step 1. Launch Outlook. Click on File menu.

 

Outlook File Menu Min

 

Step 2. With the Info tab selected, click on the Account Settings drop-down on the right side.

Step 3. In the drop-down list that opens, select Account Settings…

 

File Info Account Settings Min

 

Step 4. In the Email tab, select your email account in the list and click on the Remove toolbar icon at the top.

 

Account Settings Remove Mail Account Min

 

Step 5. Click on Yes in the warning dialog that pops up.

 

Outlook Remove Mail Confirm Min

 

Step 6. Click on Close and then close the Outlook mail client.

 

Add New Outlook Account

 

Step 1. Perform Steps 1 – 3 mentioned in the remove account steps above to open the Account Settings window.

Step 2. With the Email tab selected in Account Settings, click on the New toolbar icon.



 

Account Settings New Mail] Min

 

Step 3. Enter the required information, username, and password of your Outlook email account.

Step 4. Follow the onscreen prompt and complete the process of adding a new Outlook Account.

Step 5. Close Outlook.

Step 6. Relaunch Outlook and check if you are able to find the missing Outbox folder.

 

Method 5: Search Mail and Find Folder

 

One more option that you can try in order to resolve this issue is to search for the mail that you are looking for using the search box. Once you find the email in your mailbox, hover your mouse over the search result and you will see the folder where the particular mail exists.

 

Search Mail View Folder Min

 

That’s it!

Thanks for reading.

We hope the steps mentioned in this article have helped you locate the missing Outlook Outbox folder and subscribe to the IMAP folders. The methods mentioned above can be used with all versions of Outlook on your Windows PC. Please let us know your thoughts and opinions on whether the fix helped you resolve this issue with Outlook.